The Future of Energy and Climate: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Please join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a conversation with Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Philip D. Reed Chair in Science and Technology, Director of the Energy and Climate Program, and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Vaitheeswaran will discuss the opportunities, challenges, and unintended consequences shaping the future of the energy and climate sectors. 

Vaitheeswaran directs the interdisciplinary work at CFR on energy and climate issues. His research focuses on the interplay of policy, technology, and markets as nations pursue energy abundance and climate resilience in the age of AI. Previously, he was Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor of The Economist. He produced numerous cover stories and opened bureaus in Shanghai and Mexico City. He was selected Energy Writer of the Year in 2025 by the American Energy Society. 

Vaitheeswaran is, with co-author David Kirkpatrick, currently writing Super Power, a provocative book on the future of energy and climate in the age of insecurity and AI. His previous books have won lengthy reviews in The New Yorker and shortlisting for the FT Business Book of the Year prize. The Financial Times has declared him to be “a writer to whom it is worth paying attention.” He serves as an advisor to the World Economic Forum and has taught at NYU Stern Business School and Northwestern University. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and MIT. 

The seminar will be moderated by Belfer Center Director Meghan O'Sullivan, the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Attendance is in-person and for HUID holders only. Space is limited so please only RSVP if you plan to attend. This event is off-the-record. 
 
Submitting your registration does not confirm your attendance. If you are confirmed to attend this event, you will receive an email from a member of the Belfer Center Operations Team with arrival details ahead of the event.